HiRez Poll XTC - Oranges and Lemons [BluRay Audio]

[colsky]

Probably my favourite XTC album, definitely the one I know best. This version sounds amazing, crisp, clear and immersive . I'm hearing loads of things that I've never heard before with this album. I'm loving the backing vocals in the rears, I guess I'm listening out for this in particular after hearing Fragile again just now.

Loads of extra songs and versions as usual with this great series.

So, its another 10 from me. I've been voting on so much new stuff recently my ears are ringing - I've got ten(10)itus @: !!

 

[milt]

Full on 10.

 

[privateuniverse]

Just gave this another spin. It really doesn't get any better than this. SW has worked his magic yet again. Back in 1989 I bought this album on the day of its release. I fell in love with it immediately. It has been a constant presence in my home, my car and on my radio show ever since. I know the album intimately.......or so I thought. I now realize that with an album that is as densely layered as this one is, there was no way to really hear everything that was going on when mixed into stereo. Steven's mix has really opened this one up and I'm hearing lots that I never heard before. It's an incredibly active and fun mix. "Across This Antheap" is insane in surround. Steven's mix has also provided a greater clarity to the album.. I always thought Colin's vocals on "King For a Day" sounded like he was mumbling and I had to refer to the lyric sheet to know what the lyrics were. On this new mix it's all very clear.

As I've said regarding the other XTC releases, their surround sound reissues are the standard that all other bands should be aspiring to. The disc is loaded with so many extras that I still haven't gotten through them all.

Plus, in "Pink Thing", XTC gave us the greatest love song ever written, LOL.

As the noted musicologist Nigel Tuffnel would say, this goes to 11. But since that's not an option in the poll, I will have to settle for giving it a 10. :sun

 

[popshop]

Might be of interest. XTC from 1989. A nice companion to the Oranges and Lemons release.
King for a Day (with Pat and Schaffer band) : https://youtu.be/Amx5CK7vdoc
Scarecrow people, Blue Beret, King for a Day : https://youtu.be/AI8MalyCCGU
King for a Day, Great Fire/Dear God: https://youtu.be/buENneEy4bc

An incredible live band. The vocals are especially impressive.

 

[popshop]

I'll vote a 10 for the release, though I would give the album an 8. It was released in an era of excess and overly long albums, and now it seems it would flow better without Scarecrow People, Cynical Days, Hold Me My Daddy, and Pink Thing, but maybe that's just me. Those songs just don't seem to stand up to the others. I don't expect them to change it now, I'm just being hyper-critical. :violin
The new mixes are phenomenal, and I like that they've cleverly hidden and buried a lot of the era-specific guitar wankery.
What a band!
(as noted earlier, the amount of extra stuff on the bluray is insane)

 

[rtbluray]

I'll vote a 10 for the release, though I would give the album an 8. It was released in an era of excess and overly long albums, and now it seems it would flow better without Scarecrow People, Cynical Days, Hold Me My Daddy, and Pink Thing, but maybe that's just me. Those songs just don't seem to stand up to the others. I don't expect them to change it now, I'm just being hyper-critical. :violin
The new mixes are phenomenal, and I like that they've cleverly hidden and buried a lot of the era-specific guitar wankery.
What a band!
(as noted earlier, the amount of extra stuff on the bluray is insane)

"Cynical Days" is definitely not a weak song IMO, and while I could maybe do without "Scarecrow People", it's still pretty good. I do agree however that "Hold Me My Daddy" and "Pink Thing" are pretty weak, but hey some people may love them, so the mileage definitely varies from listener to listener. At least for me the album picks back up at the very end with "Miniature Sun" and "Chalkhills and Children", not only two of the greatest songs on that album, but two of the greatest songs that Andy's ever written.

 

[Jim the Oldbie]

"Cynical Days" is definitely not a weak song IMO, and while I could maybe do without "Scarecrow People", it's still pretty good. I do agree however that "Hold Me My Daddy" and "Pink Thing" are pretty weak, but hey some people may love them, so the mileage definitely varies from listener to listener. At least for me the album picks back up at the very end with "Miniature Sun" and "Chalkhills and Children", not only two of the greatest songs on that album, but two of the greatest songs that Andy's ever written.

"Hold Me" and "Pink Thing" are the only two I could probably do without. They're both clever little tunes, but the novelty has worn a bit thin over time. I dearly love "Miniature Sun" and "Chalkhills and Children;" the latter is my favorite of all the XTC songs. I also think they go really well together, to the point where I intend to fire up Audacity sometime soon to try restoring the old familiar crossfade between them. I'd really like to hear that in 5.1 - I get the feeling it might sound especially nice.

-- Jim

[EDIT] Hmm... Turns out it's not possible to exactly recreate the crossfade from the stereo mix. The main difference is the little rhythmic cymbal dome at the beginning of "Chalkhills." In the 5.1, it begins at full strength early on, and repeats for several measures. When you crossfade, this sound clashes a bit with the quicker rhythm of "Miniature Sun" as it fades out. In the stereo mix, you can hear that the cymbal is held off, and doesn't fade in until shortly before the music of "Chalkhills" begins (and "Sun" has faded out completely), neatly avoiding the little rhythmic jostle. Even with that though, I think I still like this crossfade - it sounds more like I've grown accustomed to hearing it after all these years. I guess I'll make a playlist for each version, with and without the fade.

By the way, if anyone's interested, I'll put up some notes on what I've learned about how to do this 5.1 crossfade in Audacity.

 

[kap'n krunch]

Scarecrow People is one of their finest songs!!!!

.."and if you don't start living, well, you're all gonna wind up Scarecrow People too"...sheer brilliance!!!

 

[Jim the Oldbie]

Scarecrow People is one of their finest songs!!!!

I used to work in a shop with a gal who once wondered, "Why put such gloomy lyrics to such a happy tune?" or something like that.

Um. Because irony is a thing?

See the picture perfect imagery there? Scarecrows? Dancing around, limbs flailing? No brains? Get it?

"Never mind," heh.

 

[popshop]

Haha! Yes Scarecrow People...ok, it's true. The lyrics are great and prophetic. If I consider the guitar riff to be satire, then it's great! Maybe that is my overall very slight complaint with Oranges & Lemons; sometimes it favors the riff over the song. I do think it's a perfect album for a 5.1 mix, and that the new mix served it's purpose nicely - to give everything more space in the mix. I don't mean to sound negative. I think it's a phenomenal album.
I listened to Nonsuch right after Oranges & Lemons and like it even more. It's even longer yet there's not a weak song on it (in my opinion of course).
Apples and Oranges I suppose

 

[Jim the Oldbie]

...I don't mean to sound negative. I think it's a phenomenal album...

Just to be clear, I wasn't directing my snark at you, popshop. The befuddled coworker was one aspect of that job I don't miss (although the feeling was probably mutual).

 

[Franklin]

So I received this from my sister in law and her family today. What a lot of music! Lots of sleeve notes too. Exciting.

 

[Franklin]

So, Mayor of Simpleton is the only track I know remotely well on this album (what a gorgeous love song), so that's my reference. The surround mix of this track makes sense, and it does not wreck the feel of the original stereo mix. Nice. In truth I have had a little beef (dear America, this is not literal - I have not knowingly eaten with him) with Neil Wilkes, but fair dues I like the authoring on this disc, and that each screen has the decency of stating which audio format is being used. I also like how the hidden track has that stated on the screen too!

I'm slightly intimidated by the amount of listening on this thing. I'm not familiar with the album, so there's a huge amount to take in, and I can't play it in the car either. Are there any audio files sat in a folder on the disc?

Are there any lyrics tucked away on this thing?

 

[edisonbaggins]

9.5 rounded
The album is a little long in the tooth
I don't feel it's overly bright. I've never heard the original though.
I like the Yellow Submarine-like art and the essays about the album and each track.
Musically, this is probably my favorite of the three SW CD/BD treated albums.
Weird, but not too weird...

 

[key_wiz]

One of my favorite XTC albums. Played it to death in the day. Always a bit too bright and dense, and the 5.1 helps with this. Love the new mix. As usual, the amount of extras is astounding. Only wish the packaging was better and more detailed, so 1/2 point off for that.

 

[skherbeck]

Finally cracked this one open this week... Had never heard it before, but listened all week to the cd in the car, and the surround at night... And I love it! I have no complaints about the fidelity; the sound is clear and clean, and for an album that is basically a dense "wall of sound", I can hear every sound perfectly... It's a slightly bright sound, but very pleasant to my ears. The mix is fantastic... Discrete elements everywhere that blend together into a cohesive whole... And lots of small, playfull nuances throughout (for instance, the way the guitar swirls across the rears before settling into a front and center solo on "Garden Of Earthly Delights"). Finally, the musical content is fantastic... Well executed psychedelic-influenced Brit-pop... Many nods to the Beatles throughout. For me, the album is front-loaded with the best stuff (love the first 10 songs, probably could do without what would have originally been "side 4"). I like the music on "Pink Thing", but it's hard to sing along with a song about a penis (although it is pretty funny!) I give this 3 for fidelity, 3 for mix, 2 for content, and 1 bonus for all the bonus stuff. 9.

 

[jhw59]

I just won a new copy on fleabay so look forward to an audition.

 

[j9]

I like the music on "Pink Thing", but it's hard to sing along with a song about a penis (although it is pretty funny!) I give this 3 for fidelity, 3 for mix, 2 for content, and 1 bonus for all the bonus stuff. 9.

Well the story I've heard is that the song is about Andy Partridge's son Harry as a baby who was sometimes called "Pink Thing" as a nickname. Double entendre? Sure. And I don't think Mr. Partridge would deny you that. I haven't had a chance yet to pick up the new book Complicated Game so I don't know if this song is discussed in detail in it.

 

[skherbeck]

Well the story I've heard is that the song is about Andy Partridge's son Harry as a baby who was sometimes called "Pink Thing" as a nickname. Double entendre? Sure. And I don't think Mr. Partridge would deny you that. I haven't had a chance yet to pick up the new book Complicated Game so I don't know if this song is discussed in detail in it.

Ah... that makes complete sense! For some reason my mind always goes to the dirtiest places.@:

 

[kap'n krunch]

Mr Partridge is a Scorpio (the sign that rules the genitals), and there are MANY other songs of his dedicated to his mighty johnson...

The disturbing part is the "spit in my eye"...yuck!!! ANDYYYYYYYYY!!!!